The Death War
by Farajah
Summary: Death is an idea; an event that happens. It cannot be personified, or ever truly be controlled. Not on this planet, not on Earth. Beyond the stars, on a world literally torn apart by war, scarred and ravaged, such a planet does exist. Now, a master of death has found his way to Earth. The Titans must unite with the warriors of another world to fight a war no can prepare for.
1. King in the South

It was another cold summer's day in God's City. Before the war, this part of Brazil was sunny and warm almost all year 'round. Twenty-nine years later, though, and it was still shrouded under perpetual cloud cover. Many of the Amazon's tributaries remained frozen until late July, allowing the few remaining Yanomami natives and Reclaimate Settlers to eek out an existence in what used to be the world's greatest rainforests.

Not much of the rainforests or its diverse fauna remained, now. What happened been consumed during the early years of the war perished under the Scourge's blight and the Endless Winter that followed it. What beasts did roam were mostly ravenous, mindless, undead abominations. Most of the time, they remained frozen, except for those few brief months.

Twenty-nine years, and the horrors of the war were still everywhere to be seen. In far too many cases, they came charging right at you. Twenty-nine years after the war officially ended, they were still fighting it. She had heard that, often times, veterans of great and terrible battles never truly put down their guns; that, in the darkness, they found themselves back to their own hells, fighting the same fights over and over. That was how she felt now. Perhaps that was how she would always feel. New estimates assumed it would take about another fifty years before the planet could be considered secure enough for total re-settlement.

She was young when the war started, barely nineteen. Now she was old, and growing older. Before the war, forty-eight might not have been considered that old, not in the first world, at least. Back when there was adequate access to medical care and supplies, quality food, shelter, and hope for the future. The war had taken most of that away, from all of them. Her own daughter, born at the end of the war, had never even known a warm summer. Something she took for granted when every summer was guaranteed to be warm.

Alecsandra, who sat across from her in this tiny cafe in the 'safe zone' of Rio de Jenero, might not have seemed worse for the struggle of these past three decades, but Raven couldn't help but lament at what she might have been. Standing at six-foot two-inches tall, she was a veritable giant amongst ninety percent of the remaining human population, much of it stunted from malnutrition, disease, and pollution. Her frame was powerful and sturdy, the dainty curves and feminine features largely traded out for practical muscles. Her hair was cut short, shorter then her mother's at the same age.

Alecsandra rarely smiled, not that there was much in her life to smile about. She'd grown up knowing little beyond the shattered husks of great cities and the blighted lands south of the secured zone. That was not to say that she was a hard or cold person. By pre-war standards, perhaps she might have been, but in these times, she was practically a saint. Wherever she went, she was hailed by the people, more so then Raven was. That fact gave Raven hope in her twilight years.

Like her father before her, Alecsandra was a Paladin. A defender of the innocent and the week, a warrior of virtue and honor, a living embodiment of the Light and all its grace. With her, as would it would always be until she was unable to wield it, was her father's hammer. _Retribution_ he'd named it the day he created it. A beacon of hope and strength forged from a weapon of light and a weapon of darkness. They supported and strengthened each other both on and off the battle field. In the final days of the war, when things seemed their bleakest, that weapon had rallied the people to stand against the tides of darkness.

At the war's end, it had given the people hope to push on. The people of the villages and towns they visited often told her that they felt uplifted by its presence, and safe knowing its wielder was standing vigilant.

"A cold wind blows from the south." Alecsandra said. "They say that harsh summer gusts like this means the King in the South is awake."

"Superstition," Raven began. "Nothing more than that. Strong gusts and temperature drops are just the result of the weather."

"I don't know," Alecsandra took a sip from what passed for coffee in this dark age. "At times, that seems like an awfully big coincidence. Hard to imagine that the King in the South doesn't have at least some kind of influence over it."

"Well he does," Raven was quick to point out. "He's the one keeping it so cold in the unsafe areas. Doesn't mean that the gusts are because he's waking up."

"How can you be so sure, mother?" Alecsandra asked. "If he keeps it cold, then what's to stop him from making it just a little bit colder when he wakes up. Some say he does it because he can't stay asleep unless it's cold enough in the south."

"He is never truly asleep, nor is he ever truly awake." Raven smirked at the stories people liked to tell, and the things they were willing to believe. The year 2042, and people were still so superstitious. "The King in the South exists simultaneously between the world of the living, the world of the dead, and the shadow realm between the two. He is, and he is not, and it will always be that way. At least until the world is purged of the undead."

"And then what will happen to him?"

"I don't know, Alecsandra. Perhaps he'll finally let ago. Finally be allow himself to let go, that is. How old would that make him, I wonder? One-hundred and twelve?"

"How could you possibly know something like that?" Raven cocked a quizzical brow at her daughter.

"Well because I met him, back before the war officially started. I was there from the very beginning. We all were. Myself, Robin (though he was going by Nightwing by then), Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and all the rest of the Titans. Those days seem to be so far gone, now. Heh, I suppose they are in a way. There aren't many of us around who remember those days." Raven could feel herself tearing up at the nostalgic recollection.

"You never talk about them much." Alecsandra mentioned offhandedly, drinking her barely warm coffee.

"No, I suppose I don't. Many of those wound haven't even begun to heal. Most probably never will. Still, maybe it's past time you heard the story. After all, were it not for the war, I never would have met your father, and you never would have been born."

"Does this mean you're finally going to tell me who my father is?" Alecsandra asked, suddenly excited.

"It would be hard to tell you this story without doing just that." Raven stared off into the distance. "Now, where to begin."


	2. Souls of Blood

_Titan's Tower, eight o'clock,_

_The night of First Contact, _

_Six years before The End._

Raven sat in her room, alone, as per her usual routine. The walls were covered in arcane tomes, ancient histories, arcane histories, and ancient tomes. Lessons of magic and spells often seemed to overlap with a study or political and battlefield history of many civilizations. Fortunately for her, though perhaps less so for her social life, there was always more to learn. There was always another book to read, another chart to study, another incantation to memorize, a philosophical codex to ponder, there was always something else ahead.

She would always had something to look forward to, because there would always been new mysteries to uncover, or some lost piece of information to find. How anyone could ever be bored when there was always something else to learn escaped her but, in a way, she sort of envied the ability. The opportunity to simply stop, and let your mind catch up, and even get ahead of itself. It was something she could never do, not in this lifetime.

Her friends, the not-so-teen Teen Titans, often found ways to distract their minds and kill time. These diversions served as a great way to distract themselves from stresses of their life, but they were rarely as productive as her favorite past time. Starfire's cooking hadn't gotten any better, though her garden was looking rather nice (too bad it didn't grow anything anyone besides Starfire would eat). Nightwing spent most of his down time training, great for staying in shape, but it was often the same routine time after time.

Beast Boy and Cyborg wasted much of their time playing video games, though Cyborg did spend at least some time fixing things around the tower. At times, she wished she could join them in their mindless tasks, but there was just so much left to learn. How could she ever stop? More importantly, why would she want to?

It was probably a good thing Jump City was a hub of criminal activity, or she might forget to eat. A lot of magic users had simply wasted away because they didn't take in enough nutrients to offset the energy they were expending casting their spells, enchantments, and incantations. To his credit, Cyborg was a great cook, but then he did have access to every cookbook and written recipe in the world.

Sooner or later, she'd probably have to put the books down and get a life, especially if she ever wanted to give romance a shot. Still, plenty of time for that later. She was only nineteen, after all. Her life was just starting out, and how many nineteen year olds could say that they were already doing what they wanted to do with their life? Not many, she would imagine. That she was happy doing it, and would likely be able to continue on her path for decades to come was even better.

All in all, life was great, better than ever really. Not that most people would know that that was how she felt. Those who weren't close to her no doubt thought she was a misanthropic, depressed, miserable, young woman with a penchant for nihilism. For all she cared, they could keep thinking that. She knew who she was, and why she had to act the way she did, and so did her friends, that was all that mattered.

There was a knock at the door, calling her attention away from her codex on the demons of the mysterious Burning Legion. They made for fascinating study, an ancient trans-dimensional order literally created from species and worlds they conquered. Nearly numerous, incredibly powerful, and led by a corrupted Titan, a race of god-like wayfarers who (in the early days of the Universe) traveled the stars fighting chaos and establishing order on the planets they visited.

She sat the musty book down, and walked to the door. She could, if she wanted to, simply not answer the door. Her empathic abilities insured she already knew who it was, and Beast Boy had this nasty tendency to interrupt her at the worst times.

"What?" Raven asked in her usual monotone.

"Hey, Raven," Beast Boy said, seemingly nervous. "If you aren't busy, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go get some pizza with me, or see a movie, or something. Heh."

"Sorry, I'm busy." Raven closed the door and returned to her book. She was at particularly interesting part explaining the existence of things called eredar, and their leader Kil'jaeden. Apparently, he was one of three original leaders of the eredar race, but was corrupted by the god-like Sargeras along with fellow leader Archimonde and much of the species. The power Kil'jaeden was supposed to posses was incredible, almost beyond imaging. He might even pose a very real threat to her father.

He was also said to be incredibly tall, looming over the highest towers, and boasting mighty wings. He'd certainly make for a daunting and frightening opponent on the battlefield, fortunately he hadn't been seen since he was defeated on Azeroth. Hopefully, he'd stay that way. She turned the page to an illustration of one of Kil'jaeden's creations. They called it the Lich King, created from the trapped and tortured spirit of a dread shaman who'd accidently opened a portal to the twisting nether and was captured.

Kil'jaeden apparently gave the Lich King the ability to raise entire armies of the undead, adding it to the list of beings Raven would be quite happy never to encounter. For all the bad guys and monsters she faced on this world that seemed to be the apex of terror, it brought things into perspective to know that there was even worse out there.

"Raven?" Starfire asked, knocking on her door. Raven sighed and put the book back down.

"What?"

"We are about to enjoy the dinner, are you going to join us?" Starfire always seemed so upbeat and happy, about everything, even the most mundane occurrences. There were time Raven wished she could be like that. Only a few, though.

"Might as well." Raven went back to grab her clock when something called her attention. It was a pressure in the back of her head, a sense that there was strong magic use. She stared out the window to the city, scanning the skyline, looking for anything off. Anything to trip her senses. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, though. She'd have to look into the feeling, but for now she had to attend to her growling stomach.

The feeling was growing stronger by the second, though, and she was having problems trying to push it aside.

"Alright, y'all!" Cyborg shouted as she entered the common area. "Tonight we're goin' Asian!"

"Oh? When are leaving? Will we be going back to the Tokyo?" Starfire asked, ever the naive one.

"Uh, Star, he means we're eating Asian food." Beast Boy corrected her.

"Oh, so we will not be going to the Tokyo?" Starfire looked disappointed.

"'Fraid not." Beast Boy said. "Oh, hey Raven." He added casually.

"Hey." She said, acknowledging the greeting. "Has there been anything on the scanners recently?"

"No," Cyborg said, looking at her. "Why?"

"Nothing," Raven said dismissively. "Just a feeling." She sat down at the end of the table, isolated from the others who liked to clump together. Frankly, she enjoyed having space. Cyborg laid out a number of pots and pans full of noodles, meats, vegetables, and sauces. It all looked amazing to Raven who was hungry enough to eat it all. For the sake of control, though, she only took a little of each.

Nightwing eventually joined them and the group started to talk about all kinds of things. Well, most did, Raven sat there and ate quietly. She still couldn't get past the feeling she was having. It kept getting stronger, but everything seemed perfectly fine. That was, until she started to get cold. A simple chill, at first, like she was caught in a draft. After only a few moments, though, it felt like she was in the arctic.

"Raven, are you alright?" Nightwing asked. "You look pale, and your shivering." Raven shot him a worried glance, there was only one thing that could make her feel this way; necromancy.

"We're in trouble." She whispered. Almost on cue, the alarms went berserk. Cyborg and Nightwing ran to the computer to pinpoint the source.

"We've got reports from all over the city." Cyborg said, typing frantically. "One hundred, no two hundred calls to 911. People are saying that the dead are rampaging through the streets."

"Then what are we waiting for!?" Beast Boy shouted excitedly. "Let's get out there and kick some undead butt!"

"There are too many for us to deal with. We need to find the source to contain the damage." Nightwing said. "Then we can deal with the remainder." Everyone except for Raven was gathered anxiously around the computer. She, however, was drawn to the large window looking out onto the city skyline. She could feel it, stronger than ever now, and she could follow it to the source.

"Got a lock," Cyborg announced. "It's coming from-"

"Memorial Park." Raven finished his sentence with dread. Memorial Park was in the dead center of the city.

"Titans, go!" Nightwing ordered.

_Memorial Park, ten o'clock,_

_The night of First Contact_

_Six years before The End._

The T-Car tore down the city streets as fast as Cyborg could push it. Everyone was anxious to get to the source of whatever was causing this disturbance. Everyone that was, except for Raven. For her part, Raven dreaded whatever was at the end of their journey. Black magic users were, with very very few exceptions, as malevolent and terrible as they came. necromancers were the worst of the lot.

While your average warlock or dark mage wanted to enslave, dominate, or sow chaos and discord, necromancers had an active and insatiable need to kill and slaughter. How else would they be able to perform their wicked and vile magic? Oh, she was used to people wanting to maim and kill her, but to a necromancer, everyone was a target. That they, or she should she die, could be turned against the Titans as a mindless corpse chilled her to the bone.

"We're here." Cyborg said with a growl and eagerness in his voice. They drifted around a corner, ready for anything. Except what they saw. The trees and shrubs had all been cleared from the park, the grass and the dirt looked- dead. Dead and plagued. A massive cauldron had been placed on a pedestal in the center, chains anchored the cauldron to the pedestal as it rocked and shook. A noxious purple-gray smoke flowed out of it, it's contents occasionally bubbling to the surface. Around the pedestal stood four people in black robes with purple trim and arcane symbols sown in, they appeared to be chanting.

Above loomed a man with gray skin, what looked like tattoos covering his eyes, a set of dark gray robes similar to the ones around the cauldron, gray hair that nearly touched his shoulders, and a look of pure evil. He held his arms out over the cauldron, uttering some incantation.

"Dudes..." Beast Boy whispered. He pointed a shaky finger straight ahead. Surrounding the necromancers was a cadre of ghouls and skeletons. The ghouls all looked horribly malformed, their bodies twisted and hunched, the hands and faces enlarged and elongated. Their fingers fused into three bone claws, their teeth jutted out in wicked spikes.

The skeletons were divided into two groups, the first mixed in with the ghouls, and wore plate armor. They brandished shields, swords, and two handed axes. The second stood in the rear, wearing minimal armor and wielding large bows.

"I think they know we're here." Starfire chirped. The front ranks all began advancing towards them while the archers knocked their bows.

"Oh dang." Cyborg said.

"Titans, go!" Nightwing ordered. They all piled out of the car, ready to take on the coming waves. Beast Boy shifted into a tiger, the sudden change in height being the only reason he didn't take an arrow to the face. Three more hit Cyborg, who didn't expect them to do any damage to his armored frame. To everyone's shock, the actually succeeded in chipping his armor, but not enough to cause injury. Starfire had the hardest problem, floating above the others, and dressed so brightly, she made for a more obvious target.

There was no way she was going to be able to avoid or shot down all of them. Acting fast, Raven flew in front of her, creating a shield of dark energy. She expanded to cover all the Titans, allowing to at least close the gap to the front ranks. At least, it would did, until a horrible shriek cut through the air, forcing Raven to drop the shield, and both her and Starfire to the ground. The cry cut straight to the bone, worse than Cyborg's sonic cannon ever was.

Through vision obscured by tears, she saw another volley flying towards them. The skeletons raised their weapons, they and the ghouls were only a few feet from Robin and Cyborg. They wouldn't have any way to defend themselves. Raven tried to fight through the pain and screaming. She couldn't protect all of them, but Robin and Cyborg were close, if she focused-

A great horn blared, followed close by the roar of thunder. Lightning struck several of the skeletal archers and ghouls. The smoking and shattered remains fell to the ground. The arrows that would no doubt have struck down Robin and Beast Boy bounced off shimmering fields of light that had enveloped both them, and Cyborg. The screaming that had paralyzed them suddenly ceased, bringing Raven no small amount of relief.

The undead pulled together in a defensive line, as they scanned the area for the source of the Titan's sudden relief. One of the skeletal soldiers roared at them, what looked like a blue flame coming from its throat.

"Tell your masters," a deep, reverberant, voice said from behind her, "that they will not have this world." A bolt of black and green shot past her, smashing into the nearest undead soldier. She wasn't completely sure, but it looked like a skull. The target warrior fell in a pile of rotten sinew, flesh, and bone. Two of the men in robes around the cauldron were pierced by arrows in the back of the neck, and dropped. Though she knew what these people's plans would ultimately surmount to, the site still horrified her.

Another one was taken down by what looked like a shadow. Almost faster then she could blink, the shadow moved to the last one, killing him by slicing his throat.

"Make both our lives easier, Noth, come down here so I can cut your head off." The mysterious voice said.

"You don't frighten me, Death Knight." The man above the cauldron, Noth apparently, said. The name Noth gave to the voice chilled Raven to the bone. Death Knight- she was sure she'd read about them in one of her books. Part of her wanted to turn her head to see the Death Knight, but trepidation stopped her "I have legions to defend me."

Black discs appeared on the ground, wisps of purple and black floated up from them in a miasma. Ghouls and skeletons started to step out of the miasma, heading right for them.

"Now!" The Death Knight shouted. Arrows, fire, lightning, and ice rained down on the charging dead. "Rom'lath, with me." The Death Knight, clad in blue and black armor, ran past her with a man who seemed to radiate light. They showed no fear or concern as they waded into the fray. The Death Knight shot a red bolt into the air that came crashing down beneath him in a red disc. The dead that touched the red disc seemed to start to break and decay.

The other man, tall with pointed ears, dropped his own area of effect spell, causing seams of light to shoot up from the ground. The dead seemed more effected by this consecration then the red disc. Despite this, the undead still focused their aggression on the Death Knight.

"That's right, meat sacks, come and get some!" The Death Knight shouted. "I'm coming for you, Noth!" The Death Knight swung a massive sword, cleaving of the skeletons in half. Another swing took down a ghoul, and disarmed a skeletal warrior. Three arrows struck the Death Knight, their wooden shafts splintering against his armor. A fourth found a gap just beneath the ribs, a shot that would have forced even Robin to his knees.

The Death Knight growled, ignoring the wound.

"Banshees!" The other man shouted. Raven saw the spectral women flying in from the north west. They had billowing, ashy, hair, spindly arms, and no legs. The trio of them let out unearthly howls.

"Not this time." Raven growled. She formed a trio of dark energy spikes, hurling them at the ghosts. A ghoul intercepted the projectiles, sacrificing itself for the ghosts.

"Kill the children dressed like clowns." Noth ordered. A group of undead separated from the rest and headed towards the Titans.

"Earth brother, hear my call!" A gruff voice called into the night. The ground beneath the undead began to quake and roll. The undead were caught in the quake, falling off their feet getting caught in the shifting earth, and smashing into one another.

"Anyone else feeling just a little redundant?" Cyborg asked the others. "I kinda feel like we're just in the way."

"You are," someone said from the shadows. "So do us a favor, and get out of the way, will you?" One of the shadows cast against the wall tore itself away. The darkness peeled back, revealing an undead woman in leather armor, wielding two vicious looking daggers. She took a single step forward, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. A second later, she re-emerged in a similar cloud behind one of the other undead.

"I need more time, you fools!" Noth shouted.

"Not this time, Noth. This time, you stay dead!" The Death Knight and the other man charged through the undead horde towards Noth. The skeletons and the ghouls followed the pair, intent on tearing them to pieces.

"You'll pay, traitor!" Noth jumped down from the cauldron, meeting the two head on.

"Storm, earth, and fire; hear my call!" The gruff voice said. As if, by a spell, the strangers grew taller, and seemingly more ferocious. Their swings were faster, their perception heightened, and the focus increased. Now others joined the first three; there was a tall woman, with long and pointed ears, covered in short blue fur. She fired a bow with incredible speed, and great accuracy. Another was tall, green, and bulky. He wore orange armor, the shoulder pieces seemed to contain some sort of sphere that glowed like there was a fire burning within.

Another undead woman stood on the roof tops, calling down bolts of ice and arcane missiles. A man, at least Raven thought it was a man, stood next to her. He looked like the blue woman, only hunched over, with a long face and tusks. Instead of ice, he called down a rain of fire onto the undead. Raven recognized the spells he was wielding; they were demonic in origin. Another green monster of a man, in heavy plate armor, charged past the Titans. He swung two, large, two handed, axes as if they were hatchets.

Immediately following him was a large, lion-like, cat. Only this lion had horns. Each of its powerful strikes took a tool on the undead. Lastly came a woman very much like the man fighting side-by-side with the Death Knight. She, like the other elf, seemed to radiate light. Unlike the other elf in heavy armor, she wore robes that hugged the frame perfectly, and carried a large staff in one hand, a book in the other.

"Shin'du falla na." The woman said to the Titans, bowing her head. Just looking at her filed Raven with a sense of grace and serenity. The elf woman read incantations from her book, in a language couldn't even name. Though Raven couldn't tell what they were, just the way they sounded made Raven feel like everything was fine. A blood curdling scream pulled Raven's attention back to the fight. The undead soldiers had all been slain, laying in broken and shattered heaps around the cauldron. Noth was on his knees, clutching at his stomach. There was a lot of blood.

More blood then Raven had ever seen from a single person.

"You'll never stop us! The scourging of this world has already begun, our plague touches more lives than you know. He will have his army, this world will die, and we shall spread across the stars! All life will die beneath His fury!" Noth spat.

"We've heard it all before, Noth." The Death Knight said. "Didn't happen on Azeroth, and it won't happen here." The Death Knight raised his weapon, ready to behead Noth.

"Cyborg!" Robin shouted. Cybrog blasted the Death Knight with a pulse from his sonic cannon, throwing him back.

"Wrong move, boy." The Death Knight said as he climbed to his feet. "I am Knight Commander Bloodsoul, of the Ebon Blade, and you just made a very big mistake."


	3. The First Defeat

_Memorial Park, midnight_

_The night of First Contact_

_Six years before The End._

The newcomers who, only moments ago, had been their saviors turned their weapons on the Titans.

"I've got the Plague Bringer." The woman of shadows said. The man with grey hair, Noth, was hurriedly limping from the battlefield. The undead woman stepped into a cloud of smoke, immediately appearing behind Noth. She jabbed him in the side, stopping him cold. Another quick series of jabs and Noth was down, congealed black blood oozing onto the ground.

"Make sure that body stays there, Nareltha." The Death Knight called back. "Now then, explain why I shouldn't just let my men have at you."

"You're murders," Nightwing said. "It's our job to stop you."

"It's true, I've killed a lot of innocent people." Bloodsoul said, walking up to Nightwing. "Can't say that Noth and his cultists were amongst them."

"Innocent or not, murder is murder. Titans-" A sharp howl cut Nightwing off. Raven could feel the magic behind the howl, but it still sent her into a panic. It sent all the Titans into a panic, running hither and yon.

"Howl of Terror, classic. Right, take them down, but don't kill them." Bloodsoul commanded. Raven was the first to break free of the Fear spell.

"Azarath Metrion-"

"None of that." Bloodsoul said. Shadowy chains shot from his hand. The chains flew towards her, wrapping around her throat and constricting. Silenced and choking, she could only watch as her teammates were taken down. Beast Boy morphed into a raptor, charging the woman covered in blue fur. As if it were nothing, the woman shot him with a single arrow, causing Beast Boy to morph back and skid to a halt right in front of her. It looked like Beast Boy was...sleeping.

Robin was caught in a sleeper hold by the undead woman, Narletha, passing out in only a couple of seconds. It was almost funny as the mage cast a spell that turned Cyborg into a sheep, baaing and running around on tiny legs. Starfire was hit hard by the cat with horns, knocking her to the ground. Before she could react, the shaman turned her into a frog. Raven was the only one left now, and she had earned the attention of the Death Knight.

Shadow hands reached out and grabbed her, pulling her towards him. She saw a gauntleted hand raise and start to swing before the world went black.

Her head was throbbing when she awoke, who know how long she was out. The world around her was fuzzy and blurred.

"What happened?" Beast Boy asked. "Feels like I've been on a two day bender."

"When have you ever gone on a two day bender?" Cyborg shot back.

"About the same time you last went on a date."

"Alright, enough." Nightwing said. "We need to figure out what happened."

"Allow me to enlighten you on that matter." A dark, reverberant, voice echoed from down the hall.

"Aw man, so you mean it wasn't a dream?" Beast Boy moaned as he saw the figure.

"Indeed, 'twas not changeling." The Death Knight stepped out of the shadows. He had his helmet off, revealing grey skin, snow white hair, and eyes that gave off an effervescent blue smoke. His long cape slid across the floor, and his heavy plate boots made a clanking sound with each step. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Knight Commander Bloodsoul of the Ebon Blade, and liaison to the Argent Crusade and Undercity.

"I am here at the behest of the Ebon Blade, Argent Crusade, the Horde, and the Alliance. I brought with me some of the most elite warriors of the Horde to help stop the spread of an evil that began on our world."

"And where is that?" Nightwing asked.

"Azeroth." Bloodsoul replied.

"Azerath!" Beast Boy chirped. "Hey, Raven, this guy is from your home- eh, place."

"Not Azerath, changeling, Azeroth. -Oth, note the 'O'. By the Light, I can already tell you and I are not going to get alone." Bloodsoul hissed.

"Yeah, he has that effect on most people." Raven jabbed.

"What's this evil you're supposed to stop? Why did you kill those people, and why shouldn't we take you down?" Cyborg growled with all of his trademark gusto and enthusiasm.

"If you would all stop interrupting me, I'll get to that part." Bloodsoul looked at each of them, waiting for objections. There was a look Raven thought she could see behind the veil of blue in his eyes. Disdain, maybe? Patronization? No, that wasn't right. Either way, he clearly did not like having to associate with the Titans. "A year ago your world was invaded by a remnant of a force known on our world as the Scourge. Two years ago, the combined forces of the Ebon Blade, Argent Crusade, Horde, and Alliance waged a brutal and devastating war against the Scourge.

"It was a long campaign, but we succeeded in destroying their leader, the Lich King Arthas. Not all of the Scourge's numbers were destroyed, however. Most simply splintered into small sects on our world. Others, we learned, used...alternative methods to escape. Like the Dread Shaman Nerzhul many years before, groups of the Scourge opened portals to different worlds. It took us time to track all the paths, but a team was deployed as soon as a different route the Scourge took was uncovered.

"Obviously, my team was sent to stop them here. In a way, I suppose we're lucky. The Scourge was just randomly opening portals, no telling where they could have ended up, or what we were sending our people into."

"Anyone else still not seeing the point here?" Beast Boy asked.

"If you cannot see the point, then you simply aren't listening." A strong, elegant, voice said from behind them. His armor was a rusted orange color, with traces of light blue on the pauldrons, and magenta wrappings. A long robe flowed down, covering the armoring on his legs. Two pieces of hard plate covered his thighs, and it looked like emeralds were woven into the armor and fabric. He wore no helmet, letting his long, golden, hair and long ears hang free. His eyes were completely green, no sign of iris, pupil, or white. The aura of light, not truly visible but felt, made Raven feel incredibly and uncomfortably hot.

"Then you want to run it by me again?" Beast Boy said. "Something shiny must have flown by while he was talking."

"Let me try and break this down into terms you can understand; them cultists. Them make dead people undead. Them kill all everyone. We fight. We break cultist's skulls, we break cultist's pots. Them enemy of us. We fight for living." Bloodsoul bellowed, mimicking the actions of slashing and smashing. "Understand now?"

"I don't know how things work on your world," Nightwing shouted. "Here on Earth, though, we don't just kill our enemies."

"Then tell me, how would you propose stopping them?" Bloodsoul asked.

"You arrest them, and lock them up." Nightwing answered.

"No cell can hold the Scourge. They are legion, and until all of their agents are destroyed, they will always be a threat." The elf man said. "Make no mistake about it, your world is already locked in a fight for its very existence, and you must be prepared to lead the charge."

"Wait, wait, wait." Cyborg interrupted. If things are honestly this bad, then why didn't you go to the Justice League?"

"They came to us," Bloodsoul began. "They were drawn to the arcane reverberations our portal caused. For a time we fought beside them in secret against the Scourge. Their Watchtower base was very helpful. Ultimately, the Scourge forces proved to be better prepared than we thought, while the Justice League wasn't ready to do what was necessary to save this world."

"What happened to them?" Nightwing asked, his face twisted in concern.

"They died." Bloodsoul said, not thinking twice about it. "Fortunately for us, they were beings of great power, so the Scourge won't be able to raise them for awhile now." Cyborg and Starfire helped Nightwing into a seat. "It falls to you know, to be stronger then the Justice League, and to save this world."

"Someone needs to tell Superboy, and Kid Flash." Beast Boy said. "And Aqualad and Speedy." With Nightwing incapacitated by grief, Cyborg took charge.

"We're going to need some time to discuss this. I'm still not sure you're on the level, and there are others we need to contact." The metal man told Bloodsoul.

"Very well, but do not delay." Bloodsoul acquiesced. The elves and Bloodsoul began to depart. "The Scourge does not rest." He added as the doors closed behind him.

"This is pretty heavy." Beast Boy sighed. "I suppose there's always a chance they're lying."

"Why would they? What would they gain from it?" Nigtwing asked dejectedly.

"Still, Beast Boy has a point." Cyborg answered. "We need to look into this before we just jump right on board."

"Bruce..." Nightwing sobbed. "He can't be...not just like that." Starfire hugged him tight, tearing up as she watched him.

"Has anyone tried to contact Atlantis or the Watchtower recently?" Raven asked. Everyone shook their heads.

"I'll get on it," Cyborg said. "Raven, why don't you head to the east tower, and check in with them." Raven nodded.

"And I'll head to Atlantis." Beast Boy added. "I hope the Atlantians are feeling gracious." Raven took one last look around. She knew, even now, that things would never be simple or easy for her or anyone else again. She took a deep breath, focused her energies, and folded in on herself.

Only moments later, she found herself in the common room of the Titans East's tower. The snow covered buildings of steel city off in the distance.

"Raven?" Speedy asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, actually." Raven said.

"Me?" Speedy looked to the others gathered in the room. They all looked as confused as he was.

"And I suppose Aqualad, too, since he's here." She took the scene in, this wasn't going to be pretty. She could feel their happiness and joy. This moment had meaning to them, even if it was meaningless to the world. A perfect moment she would completely destroy, if she wasn't careful. Still, could one be careful when the truth was both necessary and dire?

"What's up, Raven?" Bumble Bee asked, buzzing down. "What do you need from them."

"Nothing," Raven said. "Just- have you heard from Green Arrow or Aquaman?"

"No," Speedy said, shaking his head and looking to Aqualad.

"I haven't heard anything out of Atlantis or from Aquaman, either." Aqualad added. "Why? Why are you being so cryptic, I mean- more than normal?"

"Nothing, just a rumor. Let us know if you do hear any-"

"Wait!" Bumble Bee said, cutting Raven off. "I remember hearing something suspicious, not from Aquaman or Green Arrow, but I think you might be interested in it." She motioned for Raven to join her at a monitor station. "This message came in from the Watchtower. Didn't make any sense at first, still doesn't, but it seems like something you might be interested in." Raven glanced down at the screen. The message didn't make any sense, like whoever was typing it out was doing so in a hurry, and didn't speak English.

"It might be something, but I can't figure it out, can you send us a copy?" Raven asked.

"Sure," Bumble Bee said. "So, what's the deal, Raven? What aren't you telling us?"

"I don't want to worry any of you if it turns out to be nothing. Just try and get in touch with Green Arrow and Aqua Man. If you can't, then we'll have a reason to worry you." Raven folded back into herself, teleporting back to her tower.

"Learn anything?" Cyborg asked immediately.

"Speedy and Aqualad haven't heard a thing from Green Arrow or Aqua Man. Bumble Bee is sending us a message she got from the watch tower, but none of us could figure out what it's talking about."

"Alright, I'll take a look at it. So far, I can't raise the watch tower. This is some good news, though."

"What's that?" Night Wing asked.

"The Watchtower is still there, physically, I mean. I'm still picking it up on orbital scans."

"Lifesigns?" Starfire asked desperately. Cyborg shook his head. Starfire hung her head. "It seems that these visitors are telling the truth. What other reason would the Justice League have for abandoning the Watch Tower?"

"There is something strange, though." Cyborg punched a few keys, bringing up the readings on one of the larger screens. "See that?" He said, pointing to a spiking line graph. "These are the readings from the Watch Tower's motions sensors. They're off the charts."

"So something is up there." Raven commented. "But what?"

"Wait, something's wrong." Cyborg said suddenly. The screen started to glitch, the images flickering and jumping. "We're being hacked, ah man, that aint good." The three other Titans could only look on as Cyborg attempted to thwart the digital invader. "Oh, you are not beating me!" He cried. His fingers danced furiously across the keyboard, faster than Raven's eyes could process. "No, no!"

"What is it?" Raven asked.

"Whoever's hacking into our systems is downloading personal information, locations, dates, and my famous barbeque sauce recipe! That's top secret!"

"Wait, what kind of personal information and locations?"

"Uh, family information, personal identification, the locations of both Titan towers and caches, and all of the honorary Titans plus whatever we have on them."

"And you were worried about your barbeque sauce." Raven groaned incredulously.

"It took me years to perfect that recipe, and they are not keeping it. Any of i- oh no."

"That does not sound good." Starfire said. "Has something gone wrong?"

"The link's been severed- from their end. They have everything they need to hunt us down and break us." Cyborg looked beaten, more so then ever before. The Titans had been relying on him to ensure the security of their personal information, and he'd been beaten at his own game. "There's only one person I can think of who could bypass my systems like that."

"Bruce..." Nightwing sighed.

"Are you sure there's no way that they aren't responsible?" Raven was quick to ask.

"Not likely. You saw them; two of them wore plate armor, and one was wearing leather. It was liked they walked out of a medieval fantasy epic. I doubt they even know what a computer is." Cyborg rubbed his head in thought. "Let's hope BB has some good news." Cyborg dialed up Beast Boy's communicator, as they all hoped for something positive. The communicator rang a few times before Beast Boy finally opened the channel. His voice was quivering, like he was about to cry as he spoke.

"Beast Boy, was happening in Atlantis?" Cyborg asked.

"_It's gone._" Beast Boy quietly spoke over the com. "_The whole city, it's been destroyed._"

"What? How?"

"_I- I don't know. There are corpses everywhere and there are ghouls hauling them off somewhere. The entire city smells like death._"

"Well, where are you?"

"_I took cover in a tower, the tallest structure still intact. It's like there was a huge battle, only the only corpses are Atlantian._"

"Get out of there Beast Boy, there's no point in sticking around." Cyborg said. The com channel went dead, and the Titan's were left in silence. "How long has this fight been going on?"

"Atlantis is gone, Cyborg." Raven said. "The undead have likely just doomed the entire species, and their influence will never be felt again. This isn't just a fight anymore. This really is a war."


End file.
